Cacio e Pepe with Lemon

By ClaudiaJan

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 
• Coarse salt
• 
• 8 ounces thick spaghetti or bucatini
• 
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, softened
• 
• 3 ounces Grana Padano cheese, grated (1 cup)
• 
• 2 teaspoons freshly cracked pepper (use a mortar and pestle or the coarsest setting on a grinder), plus more for garnish
• 
• 3/4 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
• 
• 1 small lemon (preferably Meyer)
• 
• High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preparation

Step 1

Directions

1.
Step 1

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than called for in package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.

2.
Step 2

Transfer pasta to a 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick). Add butter and 1/2 cup pasta water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. The heat helps the starch in the water meld with the fat from the butter, which prevents the Grana Padano from becoming stringy in the finished dish.

3.
Step 3

Reduce heat to low, and mix in Grana Padano and cracked pepper. Grana Padano is softer than Pecorino Romano; it will melt into the buttery water, creating a sauce as the pasta finishes cooking.

4.
Step 4

Toss pasta with tongs to thoroughly coat it with sauce. Keep everything at a gentle simmer just until cheese melts and sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

5.
Step 5

Remove from heat, then stir in Pecorino Romano. (Always add Pecorino off direct heat; it clumps when cooked.) Zest lemon over the pasta. Any type of lemon will do, but a Meyer is particularly nice in this dish: It's sweeter in flavor and aroma, with back notes of orange and lime. At this time of year, you'll find Meyer lemons at specialty-food stores and some supermarkets.

6.
Step 6

If pasta looks dry, toss it with a bit more pasta water until it has a glossy coating. Divide between 2 warm bowls. Drizzle each with oil and lemon juice, and garnish with more cracked pepper. Serve immediately.